Recovering Evil: The Return of Bankotsubo
by Thunderxtw
Summary: Evil has returned stronger in the form of Tengu. Sensing his presence, Lei Fang and rivals find themselves tossed into a chaotic battle unlike any other they've ever faced.
1. Chapter 1: Rivals Meeting

_A/N: For those that want to know what happened to my story, it got deleted because, apprently, I did not follow certain rules that I had no idea even existed. I will try to comply with these rules now and hopefully this mess won't happen again. _

**Prologue **

_The cold shrill of the nightly rain weather cascaded over a quiet mountainous area. A malicious voice squealed out to the white moon, aching in unbearable pain, screaming even louder as the weather intensified with colder showers and stronger gusts of wind. Nevertheless, no matter how hard the owner of the voice yelled, no one could hear the wounded cries._

_"I'm alive! I'm alive!" it kept saying. "This pain will not take me." _

_The nightly weather soon disbursed and the raining ceased, pushed aside by the coming of dawn. Daylight, never felt better, and with this, the loud cries had stopped, and no longer could the owner of the voice feel any pain or remorse from the blade that cut deep into it. A hideous roar of unforgiving laughter then came echoing across the mountains and whizzing through the streaming rivers of water, scaring the birds off and frightening any other animal close enough to hear its joyous sound._

**Chapter 1: Rivals meeting**

The golden shine of the morning sun glossed itself across the beautiful horizon of Beijing, China. It was the cheery season of summer with warm temperatures in the high eighties that brought the energetic children outside for playing. Alone and no longer sleeping deep in the confines of her serene courtyard house, an awakened Lei Fang steadily and exhaustingly stepped out of bed, with the lower portion of her red silk robe dragging beneath her wobbling heels after throwing it on. The aroma of the house reeked of fresh scented lemons, lingering in each room to draw away the unpleasant odors that sometimes came in unwanted. Everything from the furniture to the appliances used was well sanitized, polished, and kept in the finest condition possible. Not a spec of dirt or dust existed anywhere, having the house retain a look of overall decency.

Before going out to greet the pleasurable morning, Lei Fang made herself some breakfast, consisting of steamed dim sum and a fresh cup of green tea. Strolling outside, she sat down, in front of her luscious garden, eating peacefully. The delicate wind pushed her long, hanging auburn loose hair backward wildly while she sat with her subtle legs folded into a gratified cross. As she nibbled at the remains of her tasty meal, she began reminiscing about last year's outcome of a popular fighting tournament known as Dead or Alive. Nearly, she was close to winning the event, but was defeated in her fifth match. She would remember it like it was yesterday, her legs swaying apart into a defensive stance, the crumbled sounds of stones breaking, glass shattering, and wood chipping, from every area she fought her opponents in. Victory smelled so good Lei Fang could almost taste it, feeling the sensation caressing itself across her juicy tongue. She had trained so hard for this moment not to lose, and wasn't looking to do so. Her beating heart drummed with excitement, ready to carry out the next attack that would knockout her opponent.

Using a number of evasive counters, her dominance in the tournament went unrivaled, sending positive massages through her mind that she could indeed win. On the contrary, it was Lei Fang's cockiness and underestimation of her opponent's abilities that got the best of her and led her down to the road of defeat. Her opponent managed to get a second wind and turn the outcome of the match around, punishing Lei Fang's foolish thinking with a volley of attacks. Before she knew it, she was defeated and bumped off the tournament brackets. Feeling a little distraught from her loss, she saw and accused herself of being too overconfident and taking the fight not as seriously as she should. Never again, she felt she would make such a foolish mistake. Everyday a heavy layer of guilt would cloud her mind of the defeat she suffered. Ever since that time, Lei Fang thought to have lost a piece of herself. In school her grades were slipping, her mind unnaturally wandering off the point. At work in the restaurant business, she expressed difficulty in staying awake. It was clear she just didn't feel like herself anymore, which was strange for someone like her, always being cheerful, positive, and so full of life. To ease the frustration, she turned back to intense Tai Chi training for comfort and to hone her skills, in hopes of making sure another mistake like the one made before would not befall her again if she were to enter another Dead or Alive Tournament.

Her main rival, Jann Lee, also came close to claiming dominance and winning the competition, but was also defeated. After his crushing defeat, Lei Fang has not seen Jann Lee since. Rumors being spread around suggested he was training forcibly at an undisclosed location, perhaps even harder than he had ever done. Surpassing his own current power to a greater level, completely escalating past his rivals seemed to be his goal. He was never truly satisfied with his training efforts, though he believed he was more of a greater contender than any fighter could ever become.

The memories then disappeared with Lei Fang returning to reality, finishing her meal, and getting ready to wander back into the house for an extra cup of tea she had prepared. As she turned facing the door to go inside, she could hear the sounds of footsteps pounding the dirt behind her.

"Oh good, a visitor," she said to herself.

She spun back around, moving a strand of hair from her eyes, seeing the visitor's face to be a familiar adversary from last year's tournament. The visitor was young, a comely faced teenage girl with long flowing brown hair that ran past her slim shoulders and covered part of her face, clad in a pair of denim jeans, a tight yellowish tank top and black tennis shoes. Her crystal blue eyes were set into a cold, serious stare that had Lei Fang catching her attention. It was Hitomi, a girl of Japanese and Germen ethnicity, and one of the very few fighters that came close to defeating Lei Fang in battle.

"Ah, Lei Fang. I knew we'd meet again," she said, in a low but serious tone. "I've come here requesting a fight with you. Do you accept my challenge?"

"Hitomi…" came a slithered whisper from Lei Fang's lips that expressed surprise.

During the events of the last Dead or Alive Tournament, Lei Fang had scored a victory over Hitomi, one that she would not forget. After that day, Hitomi endured countless hours of training with vigorous determination. Now, she stood eye to eye with the same girl that had beaten her months ago, looking forward to the chance of having a rematch.

Lei Fang boldly accepted her rival's challenge, taking a few short minutes to dress for battle. She stepped in the court house and walked back outside shortly, wearing her usual long flowing sleeveless dress with the slits cut in the sides to reveal her bare tender legs, adding to the outfit a pair of her trademark high heeled sandals. Her auburn hair still hung loose down her back, waving around from the flow of the wind.

"Are you ready? It took you long enough," Hitomi scoffed.

"I have always been ready," Lei Fang said, confidently.

Lei Fang brought a leg out in front of her and stood with the other slightly bent behind her. She controlled the breezed flow of her breathing, inhaling and exhaling through the nostrils of her nose, as she moved and stretched her petite arms around in a slow formation. Her dress flapped up slightly from the air pressing against her, exposing a part of freshly white panties.

Hitomi jutted out her arms and hands, placing them a few inches away from her chest, separating her legs and feet. She restored her look of seriousness and began to strike without warning. A closed fist shot forward to Lei Fang's face, but with a swift duck, she avoided its touch from reaching her. Another hand came from the opposite side and nearly made contact, but again, another duck caused the attack to miss. The punches thrown from Hitomi were fast and fierce with Lei Fang telling she had been training hard for this moment. However, Lei Fang had her own great attributes as well.

Lei Fang caught an incoming jab from Hitomi and swatted it aside as if it were nothing but an annoying fly. The two circled each other, kicking up rocks and dirt with the brims of their feet. Hitomi had to do something, for Lei Fang was making her look foolish by repelling all the strikes she launched. Thinking quickly, she grabbed at the waist of her foe's body and flipped her over into a twisting slam.

Hitomi skipped backward after elevating herself from off her opponent's body and opened the palms of her hands to guard her face. Lei Fang admitted in thought that she was not expecting that kind of move from Hitomi and sprung up from the ground on the heels of her feet. A little dirt smudge had gotten on her dress, but it was no big deal because it was expected. She glared at the German girl, who was coming toward her, and kicked her in the ribs. Hitomi held her stomach as she fell with one knee sunk in the dirt, giving Lei Fang a chance to capitalize. Although Hitomi appeared hurt, she was merely playing possum, waiting the moment out. Lei Fang drew in closer and took a tag in the stomach by an underhanded fist. She backed away, but returned with curled punches that led Hitomi to cry out faintly once they touched her ribs.

Soon began the flurrying war of punches and kicks, neither being able to a land a quick blow. Lei Fang would swing with her legs, missing Hitomi as she danced around her with prowling speed. Even though she became successful at dodging her foe's attacks, success did not strike as much with breaking the barrier of Lei Fang's parries. The girl of Chinese decent was an expert at blocking and evasive counters, and every punch or kick thrown missed contact with her body, failing to land in any devastating hits.

In the end, they had learned their advantages as well as disadvantages against each other, but neither seemed to be winning the battle. The fight ended with both fighters smiling, putting their hands together, and taking an honoring bow of respect.

"That was fun," said Hitomi, using a hand to shield herself from the sun's glare.

"It sure was," Lei Fang stated in agreement.

The fight was a test to determine the nature of their abilities and how far that had progressed on the course of training physically and mentally. Instead of hating one another, they had come to admire each other's traits and fighting spirit.

Hitomi fell to one knee, taking a breath. "Hey, do you have anything to drink? My throat is very dry. I do not care if it is warm or cold, I will take it."

Her elegantly dressed rival answered with a nod and hand gesture. "Sure, I have something."

Lei Fang went back into the courthouse, returning outside seconds later with a fresh cup of tea in hand she had made for herself. The boiling steam from the cup shot into the air as she handed it into Hitomi's open palms. Grateful, the girl from Germany drank from the cup while propping her body down on the ground. Lei Fang sat next to her, stretching her legs out in front of her with a grin.

"That was a good battle indeed. You were very convincing with your acting."

"Funny you should say that," Hitomi laughed, "I told you I could act. You really thought I came here to beat you up, didn't you?"

"I'll admit, I was slightly fooled, slightly," Lei Fang said, winking.

"Sure you were," came a tone of sarcasm. "Anyway, how have things been going with you? Have you still been training, and what about your job?"

"Not as much as I used to. I have not had the time to practice. Everything else is going great though. I like being a waiter, it's fun, you know? You get to meet some nice people. What about you?"

"Well, lately I have participated in small tournaments, ones quite not as big as Dead or Alive. I have won a couple and lost some, here and there. Right now, my dad and me are on vacation here. He is staying at the hotel as we speak."

"Why did he pick here as your vacation spot?"

"It was mostly my choice to come here. I wanted to be here and hang out with you, since I know he is going to do a lot of wandering around alone. He does that all the time when he comes to some place new."

"Hey, that wasn't a bad idea. I could use some company. My parents are rarely ever home anymore and this summer looks to be a dull one. With you, it should be more fun."

A sudden rumbling noise interrupted the conversation.

"What was that?" Lei Fang asked.

"That was my stomach," Hitomi responded, covering her tummy. I am hungry. I have not had anything to eat since the plane ride."

"You are? Why didn't you say so? There is a restaurant not too far from here. You want to eat there?

Hitomi gave a nod.

Lei Fang rose to her feet, straightening her hair and smoothing out the wrinkles in the dress she wore. The two left the front of the courthouse and proceeded toward the city district of Beijing.

Hitomi looked around in astonishment at the streets, people, and buildings. The country was far different from hers, beautiful yet alien. She currently lived in Hamburg, Germany, one of the largest cities in the country, a place filled with landmarks, historical gardens, and park areas for playing and resting. The buildings, language, and people of China gave sort of an uncomfortable feeling for Hitomi, as if she would not fit in to this new world, but Lei Fang reassured her that such a thing would not happen.

Entering the restaurant, Lei Fang and Hitomi sat down at a table, greeted by a polite, young female waiter with short length hair that fell behind her ears. As she parked herself down in a chair, Hitomi scanned the menu with her finger, but could not make out any of the words printed.

"I can't read this," she said.

"Don't worry. I'll order something for ya," pardoned Lei Fang.

The waiter returned with Lei Fang relaying the orders to her. Minutes later, she came back with a few plates, sitting them gently on the table, warning that they were hot. Hitomi reached a finger into a plate and examined the piece of food.

"What is this?"

"Noodles. Try em."

"Where are the forks?"

"We don't use forks."

"What?"

Hitomi was confused, for it seemed odd to eat without pronging silverware, but there was an explanation behind it.

" You see," Lei Fang began, "in China, forks ruin the good nature of eating, therefore being barred from the table, it is the same way with knifes. We like to take our food very seriously, believing that a meal table should be a place of peace of harmony. If knifes were available, they could be used as weapons, thus disrupting the harmony of the table. Because of this, the knives, and anything else that could disrupt the peace, stayed banned from the table."

It was a little complicated for Hitomi at first when Lei Fang explained it, but she later came to an understanding.

"It's ok, though," she added. "For newcomers, like yourself, if you want, could ask the waiter to bring you a fork if you cannot get used to the chopsticks."

"No, I am fine," confirmed Hitomi. "I like trying new things."

Eating their meals, the two listened to the comforting vocals and instrumental sounds coming through the speakers built in above. The music played from the ceiling had a relaxing flow and set the mood perfect to go along with the food. The slow beats of the drums and soft squeals of the bamboo pipes were so peaceful to Hitomi, and it made her want to relax even more.

"So, have you seen any of the other fighters, lately?" Hitomi said, digging into a bowl of soup with her spoon.

"No. I have not, to be honest. I normally see Jann Lee every now and then, but not since the day of last year's tournament have I seen him."

Lei Fang ate her stir-fried rice and Hitomi did the same with her La Mian noodles. Just then, before taking another bite of her meal, Hitomi peered out the window, noticing something going on outside.

"Hey, is there a marathon happening?" she asked.

"What? Where?" Lei Fang said, wiping the stains of food from her mouth with a closed hand.

"Those people outside, they're running."

Lei Fang gaped out the window and suddenly dropped hold of her chopsticks. Something had frozen her stiff in place, something horrible. Leaving the bill money owed on the table, she dashed outside, leaving her guest alone by herself.


	2. Chapter 2: The Dragon Returns

**Chapter 2: The Dragon Returns**

Lei Fang stepped outside with waves of heat stroking against her willowy body. Her face jittered in astonishment, taking notice that the buildings lined up on the street had been set ablaze without any clue of what started the fires. Thick smoke poured out from lifted windows and opened doors of the homes that once belonged to the hundreds of screaming citizens running rapidly down the street in panic, evacuating the flames that started to consume their homes. Lei Fang's eyes zoomed straight ahead and saw two small children, alone, about to meet death at the hands of a crippled building getting ready to topple over them. Their whaling cries for their parents to come save them went unheard as a small shower of debris rained down from their burning home. They were too frightened to move and just stood stiffly, grasping onto each other.

Lei Fang sped toward the two weeping children, a sense of urgency triggering her legs to move forward immediately. She grabbed them underneath the armpits and dove out of the way of an incoming hunk of debris falling from the building, as it loudly collapsed and turned into a pile of stones and bricks. The frightened children removed a pair of hands from the closed envelopes of their eyes and looked up to see Lei Fang breathing rationally, displaying a thankful smile.

"Oh my goodness!" came a worried voice. "There you two are!"

The mother of the two children stumbled into their embracement, happy to see both safe and alive. She turned to the girl in the flowing dress, expressing her gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Miss. If you weren't around I don't know what would have happened."

Lei Fang meant to speak out with a reply, but a voice called to her from afar and repositioned her focus.

"Lei Fang!" Hitomi ran over and stopped, holding her gloved hands against her bended knees, panting softly. "What's going on? What happened here?"

Lei Fang did not give a response as she saw more people running and trying to escape their collapsing homes. She darted away from Hitomi's view and went on to aid as many citizens as she could. Hitomi realized that the people were in trouble, and though she was just a fighter as well as Lei Fang, she decided to pitch in and help her friend. She then rushed to the nearest building, kicking down the door and frightening a couple trapped inside. They had almost jumped when she barged through, but they came to know she was a friend looking to help them escape. Avoiding the scorching flames, Hitomi led them outside to safety and moved to the next few buildings.

Meanwhile, Lei Fang had rescued a few more civilians before coming back into the center of the street. She coughed and gagged as the smoke of the buildings ran into her eyes and mouth from the windows and doors, trying to rest a bit before going into another building as her lungs felt like they were being choked from the inside. Everyone on the block appeared safe, or so she thought. Another group of civilians stampeded out of their homes, and right before Lei Fang's hazy eyes, a falling building suddenly crushed them underneath its weight.

"No!" The college student screamed as she fell to her knees on the cement road with a hand reached out. "Those were… innocent people," came a muffled whimper. "I can't believe what is happening here."

Never did Lei Fang witness death before, but now was her first time experiencing the horror at watching a person lose their life right in front of her. It brought a tear to her eye to see this madness take its toll on part of the city. Trying to remain strong, she continued moving her fellow neighbors out of harms way, while paying for it in the process, taking a few bruises. She did not seem to care about her own life, just saving others now was all that was on her mind. Nobody deserved this tragedy and surely not the people of Beijing did either. The cause of the flames were a mystery to everyone, but was the least thing to worry about.

Chaos continued to ensue with more buildings falling, killing and flattening more innocent civilians attempting to make it out before any further damage was done. Many were unsuccessful to seek safety, buried dead beneath a pile of fallen rubble. Lei Fang and Hitomi could hear the survivors' cries, their loved ones lives gone, and claimed by the threatening flames that burned and slithered around the area.

The screeching sirens of speeding police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances finally made it to the scene. Paramedics rushed out from their vehicles, flapping open the doors and bringing out stretchers to treat the wounded while the fire trucks maintained the fires brewing about in and out of the existing buildings left over. Dozens of people now stood trembling with minor burns from the flames on their skin, crying and hugging their surviving family members tightly. There was no other place for them to go, for the flames had burned up their homes and most of their belongings inside. Police tried to get the situation under control, but everyone was in so much hostility and panic they failed in that aspect.

Hitomi screamed fearfully as she turned to see the hotel her father and her were staying at engulfed in flames too. She ran toward the building, hoping that the worse did not befall the only remaining parent in her life. Crowds of people evacuated the blazed building, all but her father. She prayed that he was not inside, that the flames did not get him, but as seconds went by, she began to believe that the flames had claimed his life too. To put her horrible thoughts to rest, the burly karate instructor staggered outside the front door with the assistance of two other hotel guests guiding him. He was carrying two large suitcases in his hands, one that belonged to Hitomi and the other to himself.

"Father!" Hitomi shouted as she ran toward the man to hug him for relief that he was not dead. "Father, I almost thought I had lost you."

"Hitomi, thank goodness your safe," her father said in a slurred voice of worry. "You do not need to… ow!"

"What's wrong?"

"My head. A heavy piece of the ceiling came down and hit me on the head."

"You need to go see a doctor then. We will go to the hospital together and take care of you."

Lei Fang approached them, carrying a look of expressed sadness for the people that were unfortunate to survive.

"You guys ok?"

"Yes," Hitomi confirmed. "My dad needs to go to the hospital. I am going with him. So, I'll see you around if I can."

Lei Fang concurred with a nod and took notice of a wounded man passing them as he cried out for medical assistance.

"Excuse me, sir? Do you know what caused this?" Lei Fang asked him, referring to the fire that claimed dozens of lives.

"It just happened. I do not understand how, but it did. The buildings all just suddenly caught on fire and everyone, including myself, panicked."

Lei Fang was curious and at the same time baffled as she watched Hitomi and one of the paramedics escort her father to the ambulance. One last time, the Chinese fighter gazed at the horrific effect the fire had on part of the city before leaving. She saw police placing caution strips all over the area and more paramedics treating the wounded. She would never forget this tragic day.

The fire department managed to put out all the flames and save the remaining survivors. Part of the city was nothing but wreckage of burned down buildings of homes, hotels, and restaurants. There were causalities among the dead who were young and had a family; their souls now rested in an eternal slumber forever, never to awaken.

By nightfall, the police finished wrapping up their duties, scurrying into their cars and driving away from the wrecked part of the city. Meanwhile, elsewhere, the paramedics had admitted several patients to the hospital and were still bringing in more by the minute. The building eventually became overcrowded and the recent arrivals had to take a trip to another hospital that was not as overpopulated. The nurses and doctors did all that was within their power to fix the bruises, burns, and cuts of the new array of patients while also having to tend to the old. It was stressful, but, despite that, they managed.

As the pitch darkness of the sky came, the Jeet Kune Do fighter known as Jann Lee had returned from his long period of training, walking into the neighborhood, sweaty and a little fatigued, only to see a fragment of it reduced to rubble. It was true; Jann Lee had returned to Beijing, but his presence went unnoticed as well as unwelcome. In spite of everything, he did not expect anyone to look forward to his return back at home after having spent several weeks training in the mountains, nor did he have any concern about it. To his surprise, he saw the remains of the city block that had burned to the ground earlier. He wore his usual white colored pants with a long stretching dragon emblem marked across the pant leg and nothing more but the red tennis shoes on his feet. The rest of him was topless, naked without a shirt or jacket.

"_What happened here?" _he thought to himself.


	3. Chapter 3: Unveiling Evil

**Chapter 3: Unveiling Evil  
**

Jann Lee stood still on the gray ground as the pale moonlight beamed upon his hard posterior. He took one foot off the cracked pavement and used the other to follow as he walked toward the rocky pile of refuse, through the extensive yellow colored caution strips, where a few of the buildings, destroyed by the fire, once stood. Beneath his static feet, he noticed a pair of rags swaying about under the front tip of his red tennis shoe. It was a torn garment, filthily stained, and covered with dry blood and rubble.

"_Someone died here." _

Marveled by this, the passionate martial artist continued to scan through the debris, reaching and grasping to see if he could find more. He tugged out shirts, kitchen appliances, and half burned furniture that had once been whole. But as his search went on, a slight noise brought him out of his assumed position, the noise of something dragging along the concrete. Speedily, Jann Lee's eyes scouted around the area in search of where the sound had came from and saw nothing but the cool, calm darkness surrounding him.

He pursued it once it had occurred again a second time, leading him to walk into the mute city street. The dragging soon got louder and louder and Jann Lee found himself searching his surroundings again, but still coming up short without any fortunate results. He then turned his back in the opposite direction, stepped backward cautiously, and, at last, had found the source. Before him, he witnessed a pudgy shadow like figure approaching from the mouth of an alleyway.

The dragging was now even louder as it closed it on the youth fighter. With the figure stepping into the glaring streetlight to where Jann Lee could see, he thought that he would perhaps come face to face with another person, but it was not exactly what he had perceived. It was a creature of some sort, a creature of some nature Jann Lee had never seen, a creature looking of vast cruelty and despair.

The large plumpness of his chubby stomach wobbled with every moving footstep he had taken with the loud thump of his tall, Japanese oriented sandals smashing into the pavement. Large feathery bird like wings sprouted out from behind his back as he stroked the whiteness of his shaggy beard. But the most noticeable thing to gawk at was a lengthy nose poking out from his face. Burning brightly like a sunbeam, the fiery color within his barbarous eyes had lit up the very moment he took notice of Jann Lee, as he clinched a weakened Beijing citizen between his fingers by the end of the man's collar. The man whimpered frailly, slowly moving to get free, urging Jann Lee to help him as he uttered his plea in Chinese.

"You there! Please…help me. This… monster… won't let me go!"

Jann Lee grunted and shot the creature a warning glare.

"_You had better turn him loose_," he thought.

The creature just gazed and smiled maliciously at Jann Lee as he kept his grip, choosing to do otherwise. Then, a few seconds later, he loosened his hold over the pleading man and allowed him to fall to the ground, unharmed. The scared man crawled toward Jann Lee like a baby, thanking him with high praise.

"Thank you. I am forever in your dept. Please, tell more your name, great stranger. My family and I shall honor you for the rest of our lives."

Suddenly, Jann Lee's face broke into high alarm as he saw the bird winged creature snicker gleefully with an elevated foot up, only to send it crashing straight into the crawling man's spine. A painful cry exhaled from his lungs as he fell to a laid position. With a sudden loud stomp, it was over, the man's head crushed under the foot of the bubble-bellied monster. Jann Lee now experienced the sadness of seeing a life taken away right in front of him. However, unlike Lei Fang or Hitomi, he did not whimper, shed tears, or show any type of emotion, except the searing flames of a burning anger, the anger of immediate retaliation against the heartless beast for this act. Jann Lee had then snapped. Oscillating his hands, legs, and feet, the spiky haired male jumped his body into the air and whipped a soaring kick into the creature's unguarded belly. He flew backward into a wall, but not before knocking over a towering telephone pole with the bulk of his weight and smashing a mailbox. Electrical sparks shot out from the lined cables as Jann Lee moved in to check the damage. Abruptly, a voice called to him.

"Not bad, human. Not bad at all. It is very rare that a human knocks me off my feet. But that will be the last time you ever get a good clean hit. Prepare to suffer the wrath of Tengu!"

The Tengu monster floated back to his feet with the aid of his wings. Once he had risen back into a stance, he suddenly came soaring toward Jann Lee and immediately butted his thick head into the young man's stomach, sending him backward. Jann Lee's back slammed into the denseness of a brick wall, and as his body slid down, he could feel the hard baked martial scrapping against his back, inflicting painful burns and opening new wounds that almost made him scream out a tearful cry. But, without much effort, Jann Lee turned his screams into grunts, ignoring the scarred bruises made and redirecting his vision to the Tengu monster. When he began to rise and move again, a slight pain had hit the inside of his left shoulder. Apparently, as he had hit the wall, he must have knocked it against the bricks as well. Now he knew to take this fight very seriously, though he had already from the beginning. Although Tengu was large and overweight, his attacks were deadly, bringing Jann Lee's awareness level to a sudden high point.

"Ah, I can see you're stronger, stronger than those other fools. But I advise you to run, human, run in fear like those people I had the pleasure of killing myself."

Jann Lee raised a brow in suspicion.

"Yeah, it was me," admitted Tengu. "All you see before you is my handy work. You should have seen how many deaths I caused under a minute just by destroying one building. It was a moment to remember, the screams of children, the loss of lives, and the smell of humans cooking in a roasting fire. Oh was it satisfying."

Jann Lee had speculated it before, but he knew now, knew that the burned buildings and spilled bloodshed was all done by the loathsome creature he had been battling. Grinding his teeth together as he balled a fist, he dashed forward to attack the beast.

"Now you're just being stupid. You humans lack brain cells," Tengu said, as he flew up into the sky, sprouting his wings into place for another flying head butt.

Speedily, Tengu threw himself toward Jann Lee as if he were a missile fired right from the barrel of a rocket launcher. Jann Lee, anticipating this attack, shot up a fist that landed a direct hit in the creature's face, and temporally blinded his right eye. Tengu was upset as he flapped his wings, taking off and heading north from Beijing. But the fight was not yet over to Jann Lee.

"Come back, you coward, and fight!" he barked loudly, as he pursued the monster below on the ground.

_Meanwhile... _

A mournful Lei Fang sat on the hardwood floor of her home as she battled to fight the tears away that wished to shed the salty liquids of moisture from her grieving eyes. Up against the wall, she sat still, her knees bunched together, moving restlessly into her chest as she wrapped her easing arms around them. Installed within the vastness of her mind were the images of unbearable terror, the people, her people, screaming, dying, fighting to stay alive during the frightening events of that fire brought upon Beijing. Innocence was what those people were to her, nothing but innocence. She had prayed for those people, wishing she could have done something more. Her soul feeling unclean with a filthy onus, she felt she had saved all she could, but it was not enough. "Never have I seen such pain in my life. I will probably remember this day forever. Those people... their gone. If only something could have been done to prevent this from ever happening. I wish I could turn rewind back time to save them all. Why? Why did they die? I cannot help but feel I could have done more than I did." 

Erasing the thoughts for a moment, a fistful knock came to the door, rising Lei Fang to her feet to answer it. The door was slid open and Hitomi appeared behind it in black jeans, a tank top, elbow pads, and finger gloves, carrying by its short handle a brown suitcase.

"Hey," she greeted. "You alright?"

Lei Fang gave a false nod and waved for the girl to step inside, away from the foggy darkness. Gently, Hitomi placed her suitcase on the floor, took her shoes off, and put a hand on the shoulder of her depressed rival, bringing her head to a turn.

"My father should be fine. They said they'll keep him for a while. I wanted to know if I could stay over here with you until he gets better."

Lei Fang tilted her head unsurely.

"I got classes in the morning," came a weak but shaky voice.

"_She must be taking this hard. Maybe it was not wise to come here and bother her," _Hitomi thought.

"But that's ok. You can stay if you would like. I'm sure I can work something out by morning."

"Are you sure? I got this feeling that I'm disturbing you. I understand your not feeling well after….well….you know."

Noticeably, Lei Fang smiled and patted Hitomi's arm.

"Disturbing me? You? Nah. Your right, I'm not too cheery at the moment, but I won't let it ruin my life. I just feel that I could have done something more, you know?"

"Don't feel bad, Lei. We did the best we could. If it weren't for you, more people would have suffered. My father said we should both be proud of ourselves for our heroic efforts. I strongly believe those people know that deep down inside, you gave it everything you had and then some."

"Your right. I should not feel this way, but I do. I guess I just expect more from myself. Anyway, you are in luck. We got a room just for you."

Lei Fang took hold of Hitomi's wrist, navigating her through the Courtyard house and into her room.

"You'll sleep here, on this kang."

"Kang?" Hitomi said, with confusion.

"Yes, kang. It's a raised platform. A bed, if you will. During the cold wintered seasons, the _kang would _provide a heated area that is warmed by hot air vents connected to stoves nearby. You won't get that much now that its summer. So what do you think?"

Hitomi shrugged. "I don't know. I have to try it out. I'm sure it's comfortable."

"You won't know until you try it, silly."

"Your right. Hey, where's your bathroom?"

"Down there," Lei Fang said, pointing to her farthest right.

Hitomi went back to her suitcase situated on the hardwood floor and took out a toothbrush, a long spiky comb, and a wrinkled, flat tube of toothpaste before going into the bathroom. Eyeing herself in the spotless mirror, she combed out all the rough spots in her lengthy brown hair and brushed away the prominent tarter that had built up on her teeth. The bathroom she used was different compared to the one her house had back in Germany. Even the toilet had a different design to it. When she came out, she looked for Lei Fang, who had already fallen into a snoring sleep at the kitchen table.

"Wow. She must have been tired."

Refraining from disrupting the sleepy student's slumber, Hitomi grabbed her suitcase and put it in her assigned room. But as she came close to removing the clothes she had donned, a loud pounding noise hitting the roof startled her.

"What on earth was that?"

Shrugging, she reached to pull off her shirt. The noise then came again, this time much louder. Hitomi, annoyed and now curious, put her shoes back on and brought a flashlight with her, stepping outside into the night.

"I can't believe Lei Fang did not hear that," she grumbled to herself, brightening the area with her light. "She may be able to stand loud noises at night while sleeping, but I can't."

She beamed the light to the pointed rooftop, but she did not find anything. She started to think that it was a harmless cat prowling around the place, hungry and probably in search of food, just like in Germany. It did not seem right though, for that noise made sounded like something a little larger than a regular housecat. She made a turn to go back inside, but something dropped from the air and fell in front of her, obstructing her path. Hitomi peddled her feet backward as she shined the light forward, discovering an inhuman stranger.

"What the?"

"Wonderful, another human to torture," said the stranger.

"Who….what are you?"

"I am Tengu. Now, prepare yourself…for ultimate punishment!"

Tengu flapped his wings and hurled himself toward Hitomi, his skull crashing into her sternum and knocking her to the cold stony ground. Back inside the Courtyard house, Lei Fang had suddenly awoke after hearing a few loud noises, moving back a few strands of warm hair from her eyes.

"What's going on? What's Hitomi up to?" she asked herself, yawning with a stretch.

Putting her red heels back on her feet, Lei Fang slid open the door and saw Hitomi battling the Tengu creature.

"What kind of animal…what is that thing?"

"Lei Fang! I could use some assistance over here!" Hitomi yelled.

"Coming right up," she replied, moving close to the half German.

"Ah, so it shall be two humans who are to die tonight!" bellowed Tengu.

"Hitomi, who is this guy?"

"His name is Tengu and he started attacking me," she answered.

"A Tengu? You mean they exist?"

"Exist? I don't know….whoa!"

Tengu zipped toward them with quick speed and shoved Hitomi down a hill, leading to a flowing river.

"Hitomi!" Lei Fang screamed, though she knew the girl was fine.

"Your about to join her," snarled Tengu, as he booted the college student off the edge with the bottom of his foot.

Hitomi rose along with Lei Fang after a quick recovery, looking to team together to attack Tengu the moment he fluttered his wings and descended downward. Yet, their plan backfired as he glided down with great speed, butting them into the pushy current of the river. Underneath the deepness of the water, Lei Fang and Hitomi struggled to swim up for air, but Tengu jumped into the river himself and plunged their heads back down in an attempt to drown them both. He bobbed Lei Fang's face into the water and choked her immensely with one hand as he used the other to do the same for Hitomi. Up ahead, he could see the river leading into a waterfall.

"Have a nice fall, you two," he snickered, spreading his wings and taking flight into the sky.

In the air, he witnessed the two girls bodies falling, possibly crashing on the jagged rocks below.

"Excellent. That should take care of those two. Now, on to other matters. Ha, ha, ha!"

* * *


	4. Chapter 4: Elderly Welcome

_**Chapter 4: Elderly Welcome**_

Silence, nothing but a pure, humble silence had occurred for seven long extensive hours. Loud constant splashes of water came gushing down the hills into a lake below soon after, bombarding the gray rocks beneath the falls. Lei Fang's eyes suddenly opened to the loud wet noise generated around her, awakening from lost consciousness. Looking beside her shriveling body, dripping in cold wetness, she saw Hitomi lying in a ground of dirt, a handful of brown hair stroking her sleeping face from the changing current of the wind, thoroughly sweeping past them. Lei Fang, thankful for being alive, exhaled a calm sigh after learning her friend was fine and rose to her staggering feet. However, when she took a stand, a twisting pain shot deep inside her right ankle. Somehow, she had sprained it, falling to the ground with an unsettling groan, and then sitting on top of her knees for comfort.

In addition to her wrenching pain, one soft step at a time came creeping close to her without making much noise. Abruptly, her head looked up as she then heard footsteps, mild footsteps drawing in closer with every passing second. It was at that time, Lei Fang saw a timid little girl staring at her shyly from a distance, her brown hair made into short hanging pigtails and tiny brown eyes that shined with a dazzling sparkle.

"A little girl?" Lei Fang said, with a paused look of surprise. "Hi there," she then greeted as she tried to reach out and touch the young child.

Frightened, the little girl quickly dashed behind a tree and hugged it with all her strength. She whined with uneasy nervousness, afraid after discovering the two teenagers. Lei Fang meant to cause no physical harm to the scared little girl, but she thought otherwise.

"Hey. Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," Lei Fang said to calm her. Unfortunately, the little girl did not buy it and kept her distance.

"She does not like strangers," came an old, gruff voice, foretelling of wisdom and passion. "Give her time to adjust and she will fear you no longer."

Lei Fang let out a smooth gasp, coming to notice that voice belonged to Gen fu, an old martial arts master that she had seen participate in the previous Dead or Alive events. His full white fabric uniform caught the sight of her eyes as he advanced toward her, unfolding a pair of wrinkled hands behind his stiffened back.

"Gen fu?" Lei Fang asked him.

"Ah, I thought you looked familiar. Let me guess." He went into deep thought, putting a finger on his head to memorize her name. "Lei Fang, correct?"

"Yes, that's right. And she's Hitomi."

Gen fu and Lei Fang had never fought in either of the Dead or Alive Tournaments. However, they did meet behind the scenes. At that moment, Lei Fang thought she was not speaking with the same old man she had encountered a few times before. The Gen fu that fought in the tournaments was a very serious man, not allowing anything to get in the way of achieving his own hidden agenda for competing. Never once did he smile or show any kind of compassion toward the other fighters. Yet, here he was with Lei Fang, kind and fully relaxed with a widening grin seen partly behind his beard.

"You two look like you could use something to eat," he suggested. "Let me help you. Besides, you can't walk, at least not you anyway."

A shocked Lei Fang gasped again. "How did you know?"

Gen fu smiled with a small, knowing laugh. "Trust me, young one, I've been on this Earth long enough to understand a lot of things you wouldn't believe."

Lei Fang then rubbed a soft hand against Hitomi's bended back to awaken her and grasped Gen fu's extending hand to stand. Hitomi wiped the sleep from her rested eyes and looked around in question, staring across the sparkling lakes of water, watching the tall blades of grass peacefully sway about as the mother birds flew home to feed and rid away the hunger of their chirping young.

The old master, Gen fu, lead them both to his courtyard house in the woods, moving through a plethora of bushes and trees spread out in their way. Hitomi and Gen fu aided the ankle sprained Lei Fang, holding on to her sides as she limped on one foot, slightly breaking between hisses in pain. When they had reached the courtyard home, after climbing the stony steps that lead to it, Lei Fang sat cozily on a warm pillow with Gen fu helping her to the floor.

"It does not look too serious. You should be fine by morning," he said, reassuring she would recover quickly.

Against the wall, Hitomi leaned, her eyes circling around the courtyard home of Gen fu. The interior, having a few differences compared to Lei Fang's, was still astounding to admire. Along the wall, hung fine arts of Chinese calligraphy, all personally done by Gen fu himself. His living quarters had little to no furniture. No chairs were present for tired wanderer to sit, since the old man preferred to do that on the floor with the cushioned pillows instead. When it came to either a hardwood or a dirt surface floor, Gen fu was perfectly fine with dirt surface, feeling it to be more suitable to the look of his home. His garden was beautiful, consisting of artistic potted plants in decorative pots and a variety of exotic flowers.

"Wow, he's got such a nice place," Hitomi thought.

Suddenly, the little girl Lei Fang had encountered from outside had walked into the home, fearfully hiding behind Gen fu's leg, still trembling at the sight of Lei Fang and Hitomi as they saw her. Upon noticing her, Lei Fang smiled and gave a friendly wave, but the girl, staying locked around the old man's thigh, did not even bother to look directly at the college student, instead turning to face the other way.

"Excuse me, Gen fu? Who is she?" Lei Fang asked.

Gen fu looked down at the terrified girl, trembling against his rumpled leg. "Her name is Mei Lin, or Mei for short. She's my granddaughter."

Hitomi walked over, bent herself down, and looked at Mei Lin blankly.

"What's wrong with her? She seems petrified."

"She does not like strangers. They scare her easily. The only person she does not fear is me. Trust me, she'll grow to like you girls as long as you give her time. Anyway, we were just getting ready to eat. Would you girls like to join us?"

"Sure!" Hitomi and Lei Fang said, with rousing smiles.

"Ok. Zongzi good?"

"Zongzi?" Hitomi repeated, in confusion.

"Rice dumplings," Lei Fang translated.

"Oh. Hey, Gen fu, can I help you with that? I would like to learn how to cook these things if I ever get my hands on any. So far, the food here has been great. It's delicious."

" I'm glad you think so. Of course you can," he answered back, nodding.

Gen fu and Hitomi progressed into the compact sized kitchen, leaving Lei Fang by herself, lonesome, on the large cushioned pillow to roll back and forth, installed in a world of boredom until their inevitable return. She wanted to stand on her two feet again, but she knew of the pain it would bring her if she were to risk trying it. Anytime she dared to take a stand, a twisted pain would hit the center of her ankle and bring her down, kneeling to the floor, not very tempted to try it again. As the ceaseless minutes passed, Lei Fang suddenly swung her head to the left after hearing a startling moan occur from the outside.

"Ahhhh! Errrrr! Ugggggh!"

She thought about standing to check it out for herself, but went against the idea and called Gen fu out from the kitchen, pointing toward the door.

"Gen fu, something's out there. Sounds like a wounded animal."

Gen fu urgently slid open his door and rushed outside. There, he found Jann Lee, incapacitated with small streaks of dry blood smeared across his body, exhausted from walking such a far distance. The old master, with Hitomi coming out to aid him, brought the battered young man into the courtyard home and laid him on a cushion where he could rest. The moment Lei Fang caught a glimpse of her wounded rival, her body jumped up with worry.

"Jann Lee? Oh my goodness. What happened to him?"

Gen fu shook his head, not knowing what to make of it. "He has claw marks all over his skin. No doubt, he was attacked. By who, I don't know."

Hitomi sat along the floor and examined Jann Lee's body, ducking herself down and laying her head against the thickness of his chest. "He's still breathing. He'll make it."

"Tssssssssst!" Jann Lee muttered, as he suddenly sat up from the cushion, with a tremendous headache throbbing the back of his skull.

Placing his hands on the floor to push his body upward, Jann Lee saw nothing but light redness in front of him, the redness of Lei Fang's qipao dress, and, while titling his head up slowly, he saw the cheerful face of the college student hovering over him. Rather than greet her, Jann Lee screamed startlingly and threaded his feet backward.

"Wha…..you? You! What are…..where am I?"

Surprised and confused he sounded, as he further frightened Mei Lin with the strong bass tone in his voice.

Gen fu climbed to his feet off one knee. "Calm down. You are in my home, Jann Lee. You were hurt, so we brought you in here."

"What? No! I can't stay here," he retorted, heading toward the outside. But before he could reach the door, Hitomi stood in the way, blocking his exit.

"You can't go back out there," she told him. "Not in your condition. Your hurt."

"Out of my way, girl!" Jann Lee commanded, forcibly pushing Hitomi aside. However, as he touched her, a strong pain hit his shoulder and stopped him from leaving.

"Jann Lee, she's right," Gen fu said, concurring with the German girl's statement. "You have been beaten up, and for your own safety, I do not want to have to resort to violence to get you to listen to reason."

Holding his aching shoulder, Jann Lee turned away from the door to face the brusque master.

"If I were you, old man, I wouldn't dare touch me," he warned.

"This old man can do more than you think," Gen fu counteracted, bluntly. "Would you like to try me to find out?"

Jann Lee felt he had no time for games. The only thing on his mind was fighting Tengu, not the old man that seemed against fighting in his own home, but welcomed it if it was necessary to settle a dispute.

"Tell me, Jann Lee. What is it your after? Does this have something to do with the battle you were in? For your own safety, you should stay here until you recuperate. I insist."

"Um…Jann Lee? Can I ask you something?" interrupted Lei Fang.

Jann Lee slowly turned his head toward her with a galling scowl, his hands at his side.

She looked at the wounds on his body. "I just wanted to know, what did this to you."

"I was in a fight with a monster," came a monotone sound.

"Monster? What kind of monster?"

"A creature named Tengu."

Gen fu's eyes widened in disbelief from what he had just heard, scratching the side of his wrinkly face.

"Di….did….you say…….Tengu?"

Jann Lee nodded and turned to face the elegant female.

"That was the creature me and Hitomi fought last night," Lei Fang said, recalling the fight with Tengu that happened not too long ago.

"Last night?" Where is he?" Jann Lee screamed, aspired to rip the beast apart with his bare hands.

Lei Fang gazed at him unsurely. "I don't know. He beat us and took off. When did you encounter him?"

"Yesterday. I saw him in the city, near the burned down buildings. He said that mess down there was his doing."

Lei Fang gasped aloud. "No, it can't……..are you saying that creature was behind the fire incident?"

"I believe he is. He admitted it himself," Jann Lee answered.

Lei Fang crunched her face angrily.

"Then…then this means that…he killed those people. Their blood… is on his hands. All those innocent victims….it was him. He's going to pay for that, I'll make sure of it. Let's go search for him now!"

"No! You mustn't!" shouted Gen fu, strongly apposing the idea. "Doing that would be suicidal. None of you are in the condition necessary to take on that monster. I will not allow any of you to leave."

He then withdrew himself from the room stirred in silence. Though they all did not like it, the three listened to Gen fu and sat back down, but wondered at how he knew of Tengu's existence. If they rushed outside in search of Tengu and took the chance of running into him, there was no telling what would happen.

"Tengu..," Lei Fang whispered. "I will defeat you."

Everyone, with the exception of Jann Lee and Lei Fang, seemed relaxed now, though in truth Tengu still existed in their minds. Hitomi retreated into the kitchen to finish cooking the food Gen fu and her had prepared, while back in the front room, Jann Lee moved himself into a corner, away from Lei Fang as she watched him. She was willing to speak to him, but he was not interested in anything she had to say.

_"How rude,"_ she thought.

While she sat with her legs in front of her, Lei Fang saw Mei Lei peeking around the wall at her. Lei Fang chose not to move or make eye contact, appearing lonesome on the floor. Drawing closer, Mei Lin walked toward her quietly, but stopped the moment the college student looked up to see her. Quickly, she turned back around and ran in the other direction into the kitchen to seek her grandfather.

"Aww. Come back, little one," Lei Fang said, sadly.

Finally, the rice dumplings were ready and Hitomi handed out flat plates to everyone in the room. Gen fu and her took their helpings first, then Mei Lin and Lei Fang received their serving second. Last was Jann Lee, but Hitomi had to go outside to give into him since he left the courtyard home to get some air. He sat before the steps cross-legged, still holding his shoulder as he glared at the beaming sun, lost in his own thoughts.

"Um, Jann Lee?" Hitomi said, a little nervously. We cooked you one too."

She sat the plate down beside the spiky haired male with gradual chariness, expecting him to eat from it. In contrast, Jann Lee only took one glance at it, snorted, and turned away, as if the chafing hunger inside his stomach was not growing any stronger.

"You have to eat sometime, Jann Lee," the Germen said, meaningfully. "I know men like you. You have to be starving. You look like you haven't had a decent meal in days."

Jann Lee continued to ignore her as he concentrated his gaze on the sun ahead of him.

"Oh fine! Have it your way!" she huffed, pacing inside, swallowing her displeasured voice.

As Jann Lee watched her leave, feeling the time was right, he immediately dug into his plate and ate everything on it, the growls of his stomach quieting from satisfied delight.

Meanwhile, back inside, Gen fu asked the girls to spend the night as their wounds recovered from the previous battle with Tengu. They, of course, agreed, and though Jann Lee disapproved of the matter, he did the same. When the skies had darkened with nightfall coming into play, everyone had gone to sleep, everyone but Lei Fang. She sat in the room Gen fu had offered her, alone without company, but not for long. Treading by the room was Mei Lin, who walked in quietly. Apparently, she could not go to sleep like the others.

"What's wrong? You can't sleep either?" asked Lei Fang in a whisper, with her head down.

Though Mei Lin barely knew how to speak and was just a child, she understood Lei Fang perfectly and nodded.

"Where's your grandfather?"

Her head tucked in slowly.

"Oh. You mean he's asleep?"

Mei Lin nodded again.

"You want to try and sleep with me?"

Mei Lin hesitated to give some form of response, but Lei Fang did not wait for one. She stood up from the bed and with still feeling a little stiff pain hit her ankle, she crouched to the floor with her arms open.

"Come on, Mei Lin. I won't hurt you, I promise."

Slowly but surely, Gen fu's granddaughter took a few steps as she approached Lei Fang with caution. But when she came close to the young teenager, she was embraced with a hug that did not turn out to be as scary as she had thought. Lei Fang's skin was warm and alluring, giving Mei Lin a different perception on her.

"See, I told you I would not hurt you. Since your awake, let me tell you a story about what I did as I child when I could not sleep."

Mei Lin listened, sitting along Lei Fang's bed as she went on about her life as a child. It brought back so many memories that made her laugh and even sometimes cry. She told the little girl a good deal of her personal information that she rarely told anybody else. With that, in a matter of minutes, Mei Lin soon fell asleep, resting peacefully against Lei Fang's fixed torso.

"Good night, Mei Lin," she whispered, running her fingers through the girl's hair.


	5. Chapter 5: Abduction

**Chapter 5: Abduction **

Gen Fu strolled outside into the gloomy weather of night, while he knew the others had fallen off into their slumber, aiming his view at the tall, massive mountains that stood beyond the woods like fortresses of rock. He withdrew his leg behind the other as he tilted the weight of his head up toward the moon, noting the present stars in the sky, giving off a shimmering twinkle. Releasing the faint sigh in his voice, he had been cogitating back to the moment when Jann Lee made mention of Tengu. It was the only thing invading, running rampant through the tunnels of his mind, stuck there as if someone had injected the thought into his brain with a syringe.

Back peddling thoughts from the day of the Dead or Alive Tournament, Tengu was supposed to have perished, his life slain away by a young Shinobi. Gen Fu had witnessed the battle after his loss at the tournament, watching the warrior's sword plunge right into the creature's flesh, a splatter of blood following the impaled stab. Once the fighting dissolved, the Shinobi cocked his head to Gen Fu, a gleam of silence rolling in between them. Gen Fu held his position as he watched the ninja come forth, his mouth not finding any words to speak. The Tengu slayer went off into a blank stare, using a rag to remove the stains and debris spat on his blade. Sheathing his sword into the holster strapped to his back, he left a few words for Gen Fu as he parted from the mountainous terrain in a swirl of leaves.

_"Evil has been vanquished. Farewell!"_

Gen Fu remembered those exact words as if they had hatched from his own tongue. If Tengu was alive, those words no longer held any sense of truth to them. If a veteran ninja could not defeat Tengu, he wondered at the thought of how could three young teenagers do any better. He chose to keep Lei Fang, Jann Lee, and Hitomi safe from harm, confining them to his home. They were still young, close to reaching adulthood, not yet having the chance to live their lives to the fullest. They did not deserve to die so young.

A sudden cold rush then hit the inside of Gen Fu's stomach, scurrying away within the next moment. He sauntered back into the courtyard house, sprawling into his bed. By sunrise, he would have to make a choice.

* * *

Ascending in the air was the admirable presence of the warm, glowing beams of the morning sunrise, smiling down at the soiled floor of the China woods. Lei Fang had awakened from her prolonged rest, roaming the outdoors, letting her toes nestle in the plentiful dirt as she began practicing her Tai Chi to start the morning. The chirping birds, rush of the decorous river, wind gliding back and forth, all far too accepting for her not to practice there. 

A simple stretch of the arms and legs she did first before the rest could start. Her bodily movements were slow as her arms fluttered about, controlling the released flow of exhaled breaths from her lungs as she took in the pleasant air. No longer was stiff pain in attendance to twist at the hem of her ankle, hindering her ability to walk as she continued. A good over night rest had put the pain aside, the restoration taking effect.

A light muffled cough from the background disrupted her concentration, breaking her tranquil peace, her eyes darting around to see where it had originated. Against one of the haggard trees, Jann Lee sat with his back arched up against the bark, in the world of his own quiet meditation, his eyes shut, his legs folded into a stationary cross with hands resting upon the caps of his knees.

Lei Fang averted her head back, away from Jann Lee as she brought her focus back on her usual routine. However, another random noise came to intrude, this time in speech, with Lei Fang shifting her body toward it, swinging her head up in its direction. Hitomi had slid open the door, a lively smile expanding upon her lips, passing a comb through the locks of her hair, awakened with what Lei Fang thought was curiosity foaming within her eyes as she walked over. "Good morning, Lei Fang!" She said, her voicing sounding cheery as always.

"Good morning, Hitomi," Lei Fang greeted, continuing her slow movements.

"What exactly is that you're doing?"

"I'm practicing."

Lei Fang reached her arms out in front of her, as if she was pushing something loaded with the weight of over a dozen stones. She slid her foot against the ground, her arms cycling free in the air as she came to a stop, raising an opposed hand to block the sunbeams from her face, glancing at Hitomi.

"That was great. Could you teach me how to do that?" Hitomi asked.

Lei Fang nodded as she fetched her heels by the wall of the house, slipping them back on her feet. "Sure, but only if you're serious about it."

Gen Fu then barged out of the courthouse, shirt unbuttoned, his breathing scarce. Lei Fang turned to him, seeing his face in such high alarm, something was wrong within the old man. "Hitomi! Lei Fang!" He shouted. "Have you seen Mei Lin?"

Lei Fang turned to the German and looked back at Gen Fu, shaking her head, answering to fulfill the response. "No. I have not seen her since last night. I thought she left the room to go see you."

"I haven't seen her this morning either," Hitomi answered frailly. Gen Fu did not appear to be one to go into such a high state of troubled panic, but judging by the expression on his face, Lei Fang assumed he was not enduring the experience of remaining calm too well, noting the hefty frown toughening behind his beard as he called his granddaughter's name across the land of trees.

As the loudening calls died out, an infant like scream touched Lei Fang ears, the familiarity of its voice hooking her. The heart inside her drummed at a rapid pace, each beat clubbing the inside of her chest harder than the last. _Oh no, _she thought

Guessing the voice belonged to Mei Lin, Lei Fang's legs broke into a rushing jog as she moved past Hitomi and into the depths of the woods to follow the pitching screams. She fought through a fence of branches, leaping over a stack of logs that sought to blockade the path ahead. The yell was getting stronger, sounding clearer as she went through the last fence of branches, her thudding heart still racing. When she emerged through the pathway that led out of the woods, she saw a quivering Mei Lin huddled up against a rock, her eyes puffy from shedding tears. Before her was Tengu, his claw shaped nails seeming ready to pounce on her.

In response, Lei Fang shot her legs forward, jumping in the path between Mei Lin and Tengu, letting the beast taste the sole of her heel as she swung it across his face. The blow seemed to have caught Tengu off guard as he tumbled over, rolling into a ball until his body came to a quick stop.

Mei Lin quickly ran to Lei Fang, gripped the bottom of her leg, and hugged it with a tight grasp as she gave out a faint whimper. Lei Fang saw Jann Lee and Gen Fu dash ahead of her, shifting into combative stances as Tengu rose to stand on the balls of his feet, patting the dirt off his plump body. He fixed a glare at Lei Fang and then retraced it toward Mei Lin. "You brat! He screamed, his voice echoing through the mountains with powerful bass. "That little girl was going to be my breakfast!"

"Consider your meal plans cancelled," Gen Fu countered. He walked over to Lei Fang, looking down to inspect Mei Lin as he delivered her a hug, his arms fastening around her flesh.

"Thank goodness your safe. I almost feared the worst for you."


	6. Chapter 6: Trailing the Beast

**Chapter 6:Trailing the Beast **

The glare of eight eyes centered on Tengu as a stirring silence corrupted the thirsty mountain terrain, the myth monster surrounded by four human souls. Lei Fang's desire for revenge had neared its point, her hand curling into a ball as the image of her people and Beijing burned before her in a twitch of rioting flames. The malignant demon had brought forth a shroud of uncivilized terror, thus disabling the blessed peace within China. Out of all that had occurred, there seemed to be no sign of regret coming off that disfigured grin of his.

Lei Fang sucked the reserved air in behind her teeth as she braced for battle, easing the tight knots in her stomach, hauling a fist and elbow behind her head as she assumed a combative stance. The first move was hers, cherishing the dire moment as if it were the last.

She lifted her leg toward the forefront and struck Tengu in the abdomen. The kick did not accomplish much to even garner a flinch as he carried a blank stare, shoulders heaving.

Lei Fang then withdrew her leg from his bulbous torso, but the creature's hand apprehended her and yanked her close to him. He confined her defiant arms below her waist as he clamped her in a squeeze, her fidgeting hands unable to swing at that repulsive face blaring nothing but laughter and wickedness. The gruesome, wrinkled feel of his warm, dry skin pressing against her made her whole body shiver, as she could smell the fumes of his smoldering breath rolling off his tongue.

His short arms tightened the clutch, worsening the pain as it burrowed even deeper into Lei Fang's back while her voice squeaked in pinches. Tengu could only laugh, no doubt enjoying the pleasure of torturing her.

A crow like bellow then rung her ears and a blurred kick from Jann Lee into Tengu's shin parted Lei Fang from his grasp. The bearded creature let out a gurgled moan, a hand brushing up and down his hit leg as his feathered wings shot out from his back.

"Annoying pests!" he shouted, staggering back a couple steps after a snarl. "Just wait until I…. wait until I…wait until I…..nevermind. You weaklings can have your win for the moment. But victory will soon come to betray you. I can assure that."

His sentence faded with those last few words as his sandaled feet lifted off from the ground, taking to the air, his arms wide in a spread. His cackled laugh was the last thing heard as he ascended higher into the sky, vanishing behind segregating clouds. This was not over.

Jann Lee muttered as he viewed the ground, spitting a string of saliva in the very spot Tengu once stood. " He retreated again. Of course, he knew I would cripple him anyway."

Lei Fang loosened her guard and left her arms fall to her hips, a heavy sigh being her first form of response before speaking. "I doubt it was because of you." Her eyes flared up at him as she shook her head, turning to Hitomi with a shrug. His arrogance was classic.

"Strange," said Gen Fu, driving a thumb and finger down his chin. "Doesn't seem like his nature."

Hitomi drove a fist into her open palm as her head was at a tilt. "We should go after him."

Jann Lee had already taken his leave from the group, not even issuing words over his hasty departure. He was but a few yards away before the rest of him faded into the hazed distance. Hitomi trailed after him.

Lei Fang was ready for hot pursuit, but adverted her gaze to Gen Fu and Mei Lin.

"Coming?"

The old master shuddered his eyes to a close with a grunt as he shook his head, hands withdrawn behind him.

"I cannot leave Mei Lin. Consequences would erupt if I were to bring her." He bowed his head and patted the shoulder of his Granddaughter. "I have forced myself to believe you can handle this. But remember to work together. Tengu is strong and he will not hesitate to kill you if given the chance."

There was so much to ask him of the knowledge he knew, but now was not the time. Lei Fang formed a nod and kneeled down to Mei Lin, arms draping around her with strong embracement. The little girl loomed up, implanting a soft, mild kiss on the college student's cheek as she frowned, her lips quivering.

They left from each other's reach and Lei Fang waved to both of them as she treaded back to catch up with her comrades.

"The mountains are home to Tengu. Be on watch!" Gen Fu's gruff voice called, the echo dying out behind a large pillar of rocks.

The ground was free of grass, masked by repetitious layers of dirt and rocks. Parts of the land were slanted, others curved, and others redeeming a straight path. Lei Fang could not recall a day when she had visited the mountains. However, her father did pressure her quite a bit to join him on his random trips here for sightseeing. School had consumed most of her free time, so it was out of the question.

The walk had not even lasted over a minute and Lei Fang was already feeling dehydrated, surrounded by gleams of heat that went on an endless spree to drain her of all moisture. She spotted Hitomi racing back to her, with no Jann Lee present.

"You ok, Lei?" She offered a hand, but Lei Fang shied away from it.

"I'm fine," she answered. "Where's…."

"He took off." The German put her hands on her hips, clicking her tongue. "I had asked him to hold up, but he wouldn't wait."

It was just the two of them alone now. The gap establishing the mountainous gorge seem to be getting smaller as they passed through, and Lei Fang's hunger grew stronger as she attempted to silence the impatient groans churning her stomach. Tengu could wait. She needed to eat something.

"I should have brought some food," Lei Fang sighed to herself, slowing her walk. "We didn't even have breakfast."

Hitomi reached a hand into her jeans, ruffling with something inside her pocket. "If your hungry, I have something here that might interest you."

Interest filled Lei Fang's eyes and warmed her heart, peering into the German's hand at a few paper wrapped bars.

"Their nutrition bars," Hitomi said. "Eat one and it should hold you down till we get some real food. My dad hardly eats these things, so I figured I'd snag a few."

"You're a life saver." Lei Fang's smile stretched wide as she took a bar and ate it up quick, silencing the peanut flavored belch that shot up from within. The bar had done its job, leaving her full. They could resume the travel.

She took a step forward and a sudden crack sounded off underneath her foot. Her eyes scanned the floor and saw the object before her, a small, white fragment.

"That's odd." Lei Fang bent down to examine the piece as Hitomi came near.

"Whatcha got there?"

Lei Fang heightened a shrug. " Looks familiar, but I can't put my finger on it." Her hand tossed the piece back to the ground and she continued the walk with Hitomi. However, laid out ahead of them, were even bigger fragments of white. Lei Fang chose to ignore them as she walked by, but Hitomi's voice stopped her before she got any more distance.

"Wait!"

"Something wrong?" Lei Fang asked, quieting her tone to a whisper.

"Shh!" hushed Hitomi.

Lei Fang listened for sound, but her ears picked up traces of nothing but her own faint breathes. Perhaps the German was hallucinating.

Then it came in a swoop, an aggressive sting crashing into her spine, knocking her off balance.

She sat up to meet the offender, only to have Hitomi push her down before she managed to stand. "Look out!" she screamed.

Something whizzed past Lei Fang, leaving a buzz and a stroke of wind to tickle at her lobes. She could hear it as she crouched low to the ground, waiting a few seconds for it to zoom past again. The coast was clear for now.

Once it seemed safe to stand again, her eyes searched the sky. Two small figures were hovering above them, wings flapping like that of humming birds.

A familiar laugh descended upon them, discovering it to be Tengu perched on a pillar.

"I see you've met some of the family," He said. He then looked to the figures. "My precious children! These two here are your enemies. I want you to play with them for a while. Do as you like. Have fun. Even if it means you must tear out their hearts and feed upon them."

Nodding to Tengu's commands, the two baby sized creatures flew down with four more flying in close by like a squadron of fighter jets gliding into battle.

Lei Fang threw up her arms, awaiting the first one to approach. But they traveled in groups, hovering around in circles as each took a random swipe at her.


	7. Chapter 7: New Perception

**Chapter 7: New Perception **

The flying imps had flit past her in screeching blurs, their squeaked voices closing in from all sides. One would have to be a little more than nervous right now, but she refused to let fear corrupt her, not with so much at stake. As she stood her ground, they forged a circle around her, assaulting her space as the endless cackles swept through. They smelled like Tengu, inheriting his strong, putrid scent.

Another imp neared to swipe its daggered claws at her, and Lei Fang's reaction could not have been any slower. The blow sunk home, grazing across her torso, bringing forth small trickles of blood to exude from her side, emitting a small stinging pain. With this, the glare residing in her eyes surged a sudden flicker as she bounded her teeth together. She had taken too much abuse. Enough was enough.

"That does it!" She hissed.

Her flustered hands clutched onto the imp's wrists, nails plugging into its veins as it jerked back and forth in defiant squawks. Lei Fang yanked it down to her level, refusing to set the creature free as feathers fell from off its wings, fluttering everywhere.

She scanned all sides from the corner of her eye; another imp flew into sight, quickening its pace with the intent to claw her. As it neared her, she swung the other she held in a spin, hurling it at the approaching grunt. Their heads collided with a hollow sound, falling before Lei Fang as she relished the sound of their daunting cries. That took care of the first two, but there was still more to handle.

She felt the rush of tension mounting inside with the drummed beat of her heart, anticipating the next pair of fiends shooting toward her from the left. Their tiny eyes reflected that of crimson, glowing like bright, burning spheres of fire. Lei Fang would not allow them to get their way. Leaping off the dirt, she grounded both of them with the sudden strike of her spinning leg. Now she had taken down four.

Once close enough, she caught the hands of another attempting to bite her, flinging it straight into a wall with great effort, watching the beast twitch at her feet. She turned her back for a moment, licking the warm taste of blood off her lips, watching Hitomi hold her own. The German launched her gloved fists into the noses of the winged cretins, punishing, reeling them back as they let out painful cries. The battle was not yet over, but Lei Fang foresaw a potential victory coming about.

Before another blow struck, Jann Lee's random battle cry shot through the air, catching both Lei Fang and Hitomi's attention as they turned heads. He descended from one of the pillars above, landing on both feet as he threw his fist at the first threat that dared to approach him, the others scampering back.

Lei Fang grumbled at his sudden return, but then felt something peck at her neck from behind, attempting to latch its claws into her. Jann Lee grabbed the nuisance by the throat and flung it straight into a wall, reducing it into a pile of ooze and feathers that almost splattered onto his shoes. It was almost over as only one imp remained, cowering away the very moment it realized the rest of its kind had been defeated.

Jann Lee clutched the wound on his chest as he stared at the retreating foe, spitting out the blood and saliva formed on his lips. "Tell your friend, Tengu, that he's next."

The creature flapped away with a whimper, dropping a trail of feathers in its place as it struggled to keep elevated on one wing.

Lei Fangs lips curled into a pout at Jann Lee as her shoulders hardened. He had stolen the moment from her yet again, just as he did long ago, aiding her when it was unnecessary. "Nobody asked for your help! Why did you spare that thing? And where did you come from anyway?"

"Like it matters. Who said I was helping you?" Jann Lee reflected her expression, his left cheek twitching as he viewed her.

Hitomi walked over, breaking between pants and sputtered coughs as she wiped a hand across her forehead. "Come on, guys. This isn't the time or the place."

Lei Fang ignored the German's plea, waving a fist in Jann Lee's face in warning. "Stay out of my way." She gave him a slight shove before storming off, hoping the message had gotten through, though his silence failed to tell her otherwise.

Far from surprising, Tengu was gone again. His frequent retreats were getting tiresome. No matter, he was going to get his soon enough.

They were almost through the gorge as Lei Fang could spot a clearing up ahead. A pair of footsteps sounded from behind, putting her thoughts aside. Hitomi's voice had caught up with her. "Lei, I don't think he meant anything by it. I think you should…."

"I think I should focus on what's important. I do not need someone else telling me what to do. That includes you. So do us both a favor and back off!" She adverted her head away from the German, still traveling toward the path as her sweat soaked dress hugged itself close to her skin.

The sky grew darker with every step, nightfall shifting in place of the sun. It seemed the day had cut itself short. Tengu's lingering trail of body odor and prints were no longer fresh. He had gotten away again. Lei Fang could only kick herself for missing the chance.

Over yonder and down the hill she came into the woods, surrounded by cold air, and decayed tree branches. Hitomi had caught up with her again, removing the ripped gloves from her soiled hands. "We should rest for the night. We can continue in the morning."

A cold sweat ran down Lei Fang's leg. "Rest? Here? You can't be serious."

"Someone isn't afraid of sleeping in the wilderness, are they?" came Jann Lee's provoking tone as he neared her.

She stared into those battle ready eyes of his as she tightened her wrists. "N.n.n…no."

He turned his back with a grunt, seating himself upon a fallen tree branch. "Then quit your whining."

That harsh remark almost made her want to strike him, but a soft breath brought Lei Fang away from the thought. The day had concluded, leaving not much accomplished. She could only sigh and try to suppress the blood that poured from her wound. There was no choice left. She had to stop the bleeding; otherwise, it could only get worse.

"_We all have to make sacrifices,"_ she thought.

She tore off a piece of her dress from the middle and put it to her arm, wrapping it around as tight as it would allow. Sure, it was no bandage, but it was all she had and it did fine at stopping the blood leaks. However, the pain was still there, stinging and burning in just about every place on her body where the imps had clawed her.

The German eyed the spiky haired individual, smacking the dirt off her hands from sticks she gathered from the ground. "Jann Lee, where were you? Why'd you take off so fast without me and Lei Fang?"

He sighed with a scowl. "Obviously, I was hunting for that beast. There was no point in waiting for you two. You'd only slow me down."

"That and trying to hog people's glory." Lei Fang crossed her arms.

Jann Lee rolled his eyes and knitted his brows down even further. "It's not my fault you two are so weak."

"So weak? Did you see what I did back there?" Lei Fang frowned, rubbing at the sore on her arm.

He turned his head the other way, eyes distant from hers. "Yes, yes I did, and it was pathetic. You call yourself a fighter? It's no wonder you lost the tournament. I would have finished off all those creatures long before any of you if I would have ran into them first."

Now he had gone too far. The anger deepened within as her tone rose, almost thundering through the chilled air. "Excuse me, but last time I checked… you lost too! I doubt you would have made much of a difference."

His voice hushed, sitting as he closed his eyes, leaning against the tree bark. She guessed he was through with arguing for the day.

As flames shot up from the bonfire, Hitomi brought her hands closer to it as the smoke wafted through the air. "Well, looks like I got it right this time. I got the fire started."

Lei Fang's hands found comfort upon her slumped knees, looking at the twilight sky. Her eyes fell closed at the appeasing silence, only to shoot back open at the sonorous sound of Hitomi's voice. "Lei Fang?"

"Hmm?" The Chinese girl raised her head.

"Is everything ok? You seem a little…distraught. If that's the word."

She did not answer as the German's gaze left the fire, lips parting, scooting to her side. "I see. This is about Tengu, isn't it? Lei Fang, please speak to me. I don't wanna feel like I'm talking to a mute."

The college student nodded, hands trembling as they went to her waist. "With every minute that passes, I can't stop thinking about that creature. I will never forgive him for what he's done."

Hitomi poked a stick into the fire as she leaned forward. "I understand your pain. I almost lost my father and…."

"Yes, but he's still alive, Hitomi. You at least have him, but what about me? Can I get back what I have lost? Those people that died don't have a second chance at living. They're gone, Hitomi. Gone, and they will never come back!"

She slammed her fist atop her knee, wrestling with the regret felt inside. The tears that had threatened to surface fell from her eyes with a slight sniffle as she ran a finger across her nose.

Hitomi looked the other way, the stick shacking in her hand, her voice growing softer. "My father's alive and I'm glad that he is. Those people are gone, yes, and if I had the ability to fix things and make them better, I would. Grieving won't bring them back, Lei, but I can't tell you not to grieve."

She had her point, but Lei Fang could not cope with the facts. There was no intention to place blame upon anybody, but the struggle to endure the torment felt inside had failed. She wanted everything to be well again, as if nothing had ever happened. Of course, such a thing was not feasible.

Her weeping had lasted over a minute, ceasing the moment Hitomi's soft hand had reached her shoulder. Tears had flooded her eyes too. Perhaps she had held the waterworks back and waited for the right time to release them, but there was no reason for her to cry too. She had not lost anything.

Arms entangled around Lei Fang as she found Hitomi's head digging into the material of her dress, clutching her close.

"I don't blame you for feeling bad, Lei. I've seen the same thing happen before. Long ago, my father's martial arts school caught on fire. A few were trapped inside and couldn't get out. By the time the fire department arrived, it was too late. The people that died in that incident were special to me as well, just as the people in Beijing were special to you."

Lei Fang gasped as her eyes widened, mouth hung open from the shock. "I…I…I didn't know."

Hitomi brushed back another tear and separated herself from Lei Fang. She was silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Sorry, I could not control myself there. Usually, I have my dad to hug, but he's not here right now."

Lei Fang put her hands at Hitomi's shoulders, moving closer. "You should have said something earlier. I felt I was all alone in this, as if nobody else could relate to me. I'm just upset, Hitomi, and its hard to get over with everything that has happened. Tengu has to pay. He must be stopped."

Hitomi smiled again, coming to stand on her feet as her arms reached skyward in a stretch. Her frown returned. "I understand. Death is not something I like to witness, Lei Fang. I've seen it once before…twice in this case. However, the causes were quite different." She bit her lip as she looked at Jann Lee. "I can't say much for him, but I know these days must have been troublesome for you since that time. And if you need anyone to talk to... I'm here for you."

Hitomi yawned again, scratching at her hip. "But what do ya say we stop discussing this? I'm sure its not making either of us feel better." She turned back to the sleeping Jann Lee. "He seems to have the right idea. Don't you think?"

Lei Fang nodded as she too stood, wiping away the tarrying tears. "Yes, a long needed rest would do us both some good."

Hitomi walked over to the nearest log and nestled down against it. "Don't worry, Lei, we'll get him tomorrow." She crossed her legs with her head at a tilt. "Well, goodnight."

Lei Fang faced the popping bonfire, feeling the warmth of the brewed flames. "Goodnight."

Now she had a moment to herself as her comrades slept. Jann Lee, for once in his life, seemed peaceful as she watched him lay still. Never would she have thought she would be sleeping next to the very man she had trained so hard to beat. It was a true first experience for her. Of course, he would be right back to his grumpy self by morning.

By tomorrow, she would have rested and the hunt for Tengu would begin again. As she witnessed the fire die down and consume what was left of the twigs, her stern look returned.

"_I'm coming for you, Tengu. You will pay for your atrocities."_


	8. Chapter 8: Showdown

**Chapter 8: Showdown **

Hitomi's eyes shot open with a gasp, noting her reposed body covered in a blanket of leaves. The shoulder wounds made from last night seemed to have healed a little. There was not so much pain felt as she moved about. Foliage fell off her upper rift as she rose to sit upon her knees. With that, she observed the jaunty, bright milieu of the morning woods. She had caught the streaked sunrays leaking trough the thin tree leaves, hitting her ruffled clothes from high above.

She thought of her father, his radiant smile and snow white hair, hopeful to see him again soon. By now, he should have made a full recovery while expecting her return. He was strong yet stable, a man unwilling to allow any injury to slow him down. Hitomi always admired him for that, hoping that one day she could inherit such prowess. No doubt, she would have a major story to tell him once the hunt was over.

Hitomi then sighed, looking at the stagnant Chinese pair. Lei Fang and Jann Lee still wandered in slumber, quiet, and mild as they had ever been. To disturb them now might not be wise. After all, the two needed as much rest as possible for today. Purging Tengu would be quite a challenge for all of them.

Air shot up from Hitomi's lungs in the form of a dry cough. Her throat had begged for a cold drink, fighting hard to obtain enough saliva to even swallow. It had been that way since last night. Water seemed nonexistent in this part of the woods, but there had to be a stream located somewhere.

She traveled forward, avoiding the feeble twigs that would snap under her feet and awake the others if stepped on. A trip past a few decayed trees and bug-infested bushes only half a mile away from camp ended her search. There it was, a clear stream of water flowing in front of her as if it had appeared out of nowhere.

Grateful, she bent over to reach down and splashed a couple palmfuls onto her soiled visage. The water was soothing, just how she had wanted it as she took in a few sips. "Oh man, does that feel good. I needed that." She stood up and wiped the residue off her lips. "Now all I need is some food, a warm bath, and I'm set."

She looked over her shoulder to which she came from, her mind set on heading back. Perhaps the others were awake and ready by now. A few minutes longer and they might start worrying.

Hitomi shook her hands dry, proceeding back to the camp sight. If Lei Fang and Jann Lee were thirsty, they had a place to which they could help themselves.

The moment Hitomi left the stream, an abnormal sound buzzed within her ear. She paused. A strong force then smashed into her back and sent her tumbling forward until she made contact with a large tree.

Her eyes pointed up while coming to stand, seeing Tengu perched on a tree branch before her. She was a little unprepared not expecting to run into him this quick. He leapt off from the stem, gliding toward the ground, frowning. "I can't believe you killed my precious children. How…how dare you. How could you be so cruel?"

Hitomi's eyebrows slanted as she kept distance between them. "Cruel? You've got some nerve. After everything you've done you call us cruel?"

He held up his bubbled belly, adverting his head away from her. "I have no sympathy for you humans at all. And it wont change either after what you three buffoons have done. It motivates me to want to kill you even more. That's bad news for you, considering how you're… alone now." His frown shifted into a crooked smile. "Now, how exactly do you wish to die? Quick, or painfully slow?"

Hitomi's opened hands formed into fists, tension boiling within her as she exhaled. "I may be alone, but I'm not afraid. You thrive on fear, and I'm not feeding any of it to you."

"Ha, this is new, a human with some backbone." Tengu spread his wings and jolted forward, butting Hitomi's form into the trunk of a tree positioned behind her. A few leaves fluttered down as she leaned back, constructing a plan. Pain developing within her spine had caused her to hiss aloud. She dived out of the way upon witnessing his next charge. A loud crash sounded with Hitomi crouched to the ground. Wood splinters fell from above like rain after the earth trembled.

She looked up, eyes widening at what she saw. The tree from which she once stood against had fallen over. Then she saw Tengu kneeling close to another tree, hands placed around the base as he uprooted it from the soil. He hauled it back and swung forward, missing her by a few inches as she jumped the opposite way to avoid the blow. Another swing, a couple steps forward and his hit was successful this time.

Hitomi grunted, kneeling down before him as if bowing in submission. She stared into the lit fire within his eyes as he neared her. It was like staring into the eyes of death itself. There was nothing left she could do, but await the worst as she struggled to recover.

* * *

A sudden quake erupting from beneath shook Lei Fang, evicting her from her fogged dreams. She frowned, gaze scattering around as she noticed Hitomi's abrupt absence. She trudged through the twig piles to Jann Lee and shook him. "Hey! Wake up!" 

"Hmmm? Umm…" came his dull mummer as his eyes opened in a squint.

"Hitomi's gone." Lei Fang shook harder, almost wanting to curse at him. "Come on, wake up!"

Jann Lee rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood, looking away from her as he silenced a yawn. "The girl? She probably went to go search for Tengu on her own. How foolish."

Lei Fang grunted and gave him a soft shove. "I think something has happened to her. Just now I heard a noise from over there." She pointed a finger toward the north of the woods.

The scowl upon Jann Lee's head increased, as he looked in the same direction her finger pointed. "It might be him. If so I am going to make sure he does not get away this time. He won't have anywhere to run or anywhere to hide. He'll never harm the head of another human being again when I'm through with him."

Lei Fang faced him once more, silent for a moment. For once, she admired his words. He seemed just as anxious as she did to combat the wicked menace. "Jann Lee…"

"Hmm?"

Her stomach contracted as his eyes met hers, struggling to find something to say. "Lets make this day his last." She nodded, awaiting his reply.

"Of course." He jerked his head back.

They dashed to the north, hurdling over tree limbs, rocks, and anything else that lied within their path. Ahead, they found Hitomi lying on the ground, motionless. Lei Fang went to check on her, but Jann Lee yanked her arm back, stilling her pace.

A ruffled noise sounded from the trees and Tengu made his presence known as he jumped down in front of them. "You two are just in time." He looked down at Hitomi. "The little one here did not last very long. She's very courageous, but she is also weak and stupid."

Lei Fang's fist trembled, anger rising from within. "It ends today, Tengu. I shall have no more of this!"

"What ends here? The only thing that is going to end is your miserable lives." The chubby creature snorted.

Jann Lee stepped forth, cracking his knuckles aloud. "On the contrary, I think she's right."

A deep snicker and Tengu smiled. "Bah! You two can't kill me. I've already died and come back before." He stomped both of his feet into the ground and squatted, akin to a traditional sumo wrestler. "I've grown tired of you fools stalking me. Let's put your confidence to the test, shall we?"

His wings began to flap and he rushed at both of them. Lei Fang felt Jann Lee shove her aside with his hand before she could even get into a proper fighting stance. She fell on her knees, watching as Tengu collided with the spiky haired man into a scuffle. With his trademark battle cry, Jann Lee leapt off the ground and kicked Tengu's ribs. The beast ceased his arm before he could land, carrying him high into the air. When they reached a certain altitude, Tengu freed Jann Lee and allowed him to fall.

Lei Fang gasped as she saw her rival land onto a pair of branches that snapped under the harsh impact of his weight. He made contact with the ground seconds after, lying there, unmoving.

Lei Fang ran to him for an assist, but Tengu flew down and stood in her path. "You can't help him now. It is too late for him. You should have ran when you had the chance, not that you would have gotten away from me anyway."

"You…" Lei Fang swung a fist as hard as she could, but the blow never hit. Tengu's hand had reacted with quick reflex to block it. She tried for another swing, this time with the other hand. Tengu caught that as well before it could make contact.

Now he had both of her hands locked down, squeezing them hard. Lei Fang sunk down on both knees, feeling powerless to do anything. She refused to let it end like this, refused to die by this monster. All she could hear now was Tengu's voice mocking her.

"All your efforts to stop me have failed. You are pathetic. Since your asking for a death wish, I'll be glad to grant it for you."

He strengthened his squeeze, causing Lei Fang to scream as she closed her eyes. If only she could free herself and summon the strength to end this.

She then heard a voice fill her ears, a very familiar one. "Ahem!"

Tengu's grip on her loosened, turning his back to where the voice had came. She was now relieved for the moment, her pants soft while hunched in the dirt. Her eyes looked up and saw Gen Fu appear into the foreground from behind the trees. "So, attempting to eat children isn't enough for you?"

"Who are you, old man?" shouted Tengu, stepping toward him.

Gen Fu blinked and sniffled, a hand running across his nose. "Old man? If I'm not mistaken your over ten times my age."

Tengu let out an angry roar. "Have you come to die too? I'll squash you as well!"

Gen Fu formed a stance, waving his hand for the beast to come forth. "Come on then. Aint none of us getting any younger."

The two ran forward to attack. Perhaps this would give Lei Fang the time she needed.


End file.
